


Meeting Again the Mutant

by ItsSomething



Category: Monster Girl Quest
Genre: Gen, Needles, Post-Canon, canon spoilers, light body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 12:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16118261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsSomething/pseuds/ItsSomething
Summary: It's been three months since the conclusion of Luka's adventure, but his bond with Alice has faded away over time. And on one sleepless night, Luka decides to head out for a walk - only to find one of his old enemies.





	Meeting Again the Mutant

It had been about three months since Luka defeated Ilias, and the world around him was practically unrecognizable from how it was before then. Monsters and humans were mingling happily wherever he went. Certainly, there was some tension between the two races, as the Monsters weren’t exactly perfect in their treatment of the humans. But, still, the two being able to live in the same town as equals was exactly what Luka fought for, what he was willing to die for, and now appeared so close to being a reality.

Angels still posed a bit of a problem, though. Many were still loyal to Ilias, and refused to integrate themselves with the Monsters. Others, meanwhile, were willing to integrate, but were ousted by people and Monsters whose families were killed in the fighting by Ilias’s army. Luka had to step in and use his status as the Hero who defeated Ilias to break up fighting more times than he could count.

Of course, that was merely a transitionary period while Tamamo set up the Coexistence Enforcement Brigade; a Monster-and-Human-comprised police force to help regulate the integration of the three races, based on the model of Grand Noah’s cities. Now that it was established, Luka could more freely explore the world he created, and appreciate it for what it was, in all its splendid beauty.

Alice never really tagged along anymore, though. While fighting against Ilias, the Hero and the Monster Lord grew to appreciate and respect one another, which later turned to mutual infatuation. However, once Luka had awoken from his month-long coma, it didn’t take long before things became awkward between the two. Without the binding cause of defeating Ilias, the two quickly realized that they lacked that chemistry needed for love to be true. Thus, peacefully, they broke things off – though while Ilias Village was being rebuilt, Alice let Luka stay in the Monster Lord’s Castle. It was the least she could do for someone who did so much for Monsterkind.

Luka had a lot of time to reminisce about his adventures with Alice, now that she’s not slithering into his room on a nightly basis. And one thought that kept coming back to him was…

 

Promestein.

 

One of the leaders of Ilias’s armies, alongside Black Alice and Eden; a mad scientist that had provided materials for Chrome, while also being allied with the ex-necromancer’s older sister, Shirome; and perhaps one of the most misunderstood people that Luka had ever met. After all, despite all of her mad science experiments, she did give humans fire, and claimed to love the race as a whole, in a way that Luka felt was genuine. He couldn’t help but think that maybe if he had had a chance to talk to her alone, he would have been able to change her ways. After all, he was even able to convince Erubetie to give up her own anti-human crusade, and she had a reason to despise humanity. But as far as he was aware, she was dead; she had taken the White Rabbit injection, after all, in a gambit to eat Luka and absorb his power so she could counteract Black Alice taking it and eating Ilias. Neither the former Monster Lord nor Promestein had known that Ilias planned everything all along, but maybe if Luka had been able to convince her…

He rolled out of bed, unable to sleep. He needed some air. Putting on some light clothing, along with his shoes, he grabbed the Angel Halo (just in case) and headed out of his room, and out of the Castle.

He took a deep breath of the crisp, nighttime air, already starting to feel more relaxed, before letting his feet carry him. To where, he did not know, just as long as he could get somewhere. His feet fell quietly in the grass that finally started to grow on Hellgondo’s soil, as he journeyed to…

Remina. This was one of the places he saw Promestein. A massacre took place here decades ago, ordered by Ilias herself. This was also where he had chased Promestein to, after Ilias openly declared an attack on the world. This was where he first fought her.

She had a lab here, Luka recalled. And as he looked over where he found it, he noticed something peculiar.

The door was open, and the lights were on.

Luka became tense, and gripped his sword a bit more tightly. If someone was using this place for their own nefarious purposes, it could mean bad news. With careful steps, Luka made his way into the laboratory. The place was still damaged heavily from the rampage Alice engaged in not long after being sealed, mostly at waist-height. As he ventured deeper into the place, he heard the sound of a glass falling to the ground, followed by a grumbled curse. Luka quickened his pace, but still ensured that his footfalls were quiet as he followed the source of the voice. And when he found it, he saw…

A human(-looking) girl, with deep red hair, tied up in a ponytail, working at sweeping up the shards from a dropped beaker.

Her back was turned to Luka, but he knew that shade of red hair anywhere. She didn’t even need to be wearing her lab coat.

“…Promestein?” He finally asked, which nearly made the angel jump out of her skin. She recognized that voice, and as she turned around, she called his name.

“Luka?!” But he flinched when he saw her face. Gaping holes were still in her cheeks where worms had eaten their way out when she transformed with the White Rabbit, and vines formed a makeshift eyepatch over her left eye. Luka didn’t want to get a closer look at it. “What are you doing here?” Her voice was higher-pitched than before, and her body was overall much smaller, though not quite child-sized. Still, she was definitely lacking in her once bountiful chest and hips.

“I should be asking you that question, Promestein.” Luka’s grip on the Angel Halo actually loosened somewhat, as he relaxed his muscles. “I mean…I thought you were dead, after our battle. Or at least, you were dying when you were sealed. Didn’t the White Rabbit do to you what it did to Black Alice…? But, you just look smaller.”

“I implemented some failsafes in the injection intended for me. I figured, even if I got sealed, I’d at least be able to survive while Black Alice struggled to control her power, and find some other way to undermine her. I may not have Ilias’s or Micaela’s tactical prowess, but I’m not exactly Eden, either.” Promestein chuckled at her own joke at the poor, sealed Seraph’s expense, before sitting down in a chair nearby. “As for my appearance, well, the Rabbit and your sealing still had some effects on me. This is how I used to look, back when I taught humanity about fire.” She paused. “Worm-burrows and the eyepatch aside, that is.”

Luka stepped a bit further into the room, and Promestein nudged a chair over to him with her foot. He stopped it with his own foot, but he didn’t feel quite comfortable enough to sit. “So what about you being in the lab? I noticed that the lights were on here. You aren’t doing anything crazy again, are you?”

Promestein whirled around in her chair, turning her back on Luka. Rapid clicking followed as her fingers flew across a strange board of buttons marked with the letters of the alphabet. “If you mean performing experiments on Monsters, then no. But you could definitely say that what I’m doing is crazy, in that nobody in their right mind should be attempting it.” Promestein brought up an image on screen, showing many complicated mechanisms and models that were far beyond Luka’s scientific knowledge. “I’m essentially working on an anti-White Rabbit. At the very least, it would let me regain the regeneration powers that come with being an angel. Then I can heal up like you can when I sleep, and I’ll get these disgusting worm-burrows off of me.”

“Well…” Luka didn’t see any harm in that. When it came down to it, Promestein was just making medicine for herself. And then his need to be a hero came through, and he popped the question. “How can I help?”

“Yes, I figured you’d ask about tho—” Promestein had gone into autopilot, but then realized that Luka asked a question she wasn’t expecting. She blinked a couple times, before turning around to face him. “You said you wanted to help? Did I hear you correctly?”

“Y-Yeah,” Luka cleared his throat. “I want to help.”

“Even after the things I’ve done?”

“Well, yeah,” Luka paused for a second, to think of how to word his answer, before continuing, “I don’t believe in holding a grudge. It just leads to more hatred, and continues the violence that everyone here has been working on ending. And, truth be told, you seem reasonable beneath that exterior of yours. Like if you and I had had a chance to talk, I might have been able to convince you to be our ally to fight Ilias, rather than our enemy. Our motivations might have been different, sure, but the end goal would have been the same, wouldn’t it? Defeating Ilias and disillusioning the world from her teachings…You could have filled that gap and taught everyone your scientific knowledge. You know?”

Promestein took a moment to think about it. “I suppose you raise a good point. I did want Ilias gone first and foremost; I just didn’t think you would have had the First Seraph and one of the Six Ancestors backing you up while fighting her. I guess that’s why I didn’t really help you out, only did enough so that you could still be a thorn in Ilias’s side until it was time to use the White Rabbit.”

“You were watching, huh?” Micaela and Tamamo had dealt severe damage to Ilias during Luka’s fight with her, and made sure everyone else was a safe distance so they wouldn’t be collateral damage. “I couldn’t have done it without any of them, you’re right. Still, if you stopped with the cruel experiments on innocent people…”

“…You’ll forgive me. Is that right?” Promestein turned back to the screen, again clicking away at that board of keys she had. “A typical answer from you, Luka. But that’s what makes you Luka, I suppose. Tell you what – you give me the ingredient I need, and assuming this doesn’t kill me, we can talk and work something out. Sound good?”

Luka nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds great! So…What do you need, Promestein?”

“I need the DNA of a powerful angel to counteract some of the side effects of the White Rabbit. A Seraph would be best, but considering the Third is sealed, and Lucifina is…” Promestein paused her typing, before clearing her throat. “Well, you’d know best with her. They’re out of the question. Not like Eden would have cooperated anyway, unless Ilias told her to, but that’s besides the point. So, you can either run to Enrika and fetch me your aunt’s DNA, or you can give me some of your own. It may be a bit impure due to your father’s human blood, but it should suffice; the fact that you exist proves that they’re still compatible, and based on my research, humans can be the merging link between angel and monster powers. You might even be able to make a half-Monster, fourth-human, fourth-angel child son.” Another pause. “Which, considering the sort of powers I infused myself with, might actually make your DNA better.”

“…Promestein?”

“Yes, Luka?”

“What’s DNA?”

“Oh! DNA is a type of coding within your cells – incredibly small pieces of your organs, smaller than the naked eye can see – that tells your body…How to build you, really. It’s what makes your eyes blue, your hair purple, your skin pale, and so on. It can be found just about anywhere; your hair, your skin, your blood, your semen, and even your spit.”

“Of course it can be found in semen…” Luka sighed. “So, does that mean you’re going to—"

“No, I’m not. Not only would I have more difficulty than ever doing that as I am now, but…I’ve seen the sort of loads you pump out. I’d rather not have to end up cleaning it off of anything, especially with all the sensitive equipment around here. I’ll just take a blood sample.” Promestein wheeled her chair over to a set of shelves nearby, and pulled out a strange-looking, clear cylinder with a pointy needle sticking out of it. “The typical human has about five liters of blood in their body. Often, they can survive and make a full recovery even after losing a couple pints, though they might feel dizzy.” Promestein pressed down on what appeared to be a button, pushing a colored figure through the cylinder until it met the base of the needle. “This syringe here can hold about half of a cup of blood. You’ll hardly notice the effects, though I do ask that you be careful and don’t move so I can find a vein on your arm.” Now that she was talking about her science, Promestein had quite a bit to say, as she inspected the syringe, grabbed a couple other supplies, and then wheeled her chair over to Luka, catching herself on one foot and swiveling herself around to face him. “Oh. By the way, pull up your sleeve.”

Luka was, admittedly, a bit nervous about a pointy metal thing sticking into him and sucking his blood. But, he didn’t want to show it, to prove that he trusted Promestein. So, he pulled up his left sleeve, and waited for Promestein. The red-haired angel poured some liquid from a square, opaque bottle onto a little white cloud-looking object in her hands, before patting it on his forearm. It felt quite cold, enough to make him shudder a bit. “Don’t worry, Luka. It’s cleaning alcohol, meant to keep things sterile. It’s not the kind you’d find in any tavern.” She assured him on instinct, before making some more preparations, leaning in, and pressing the needle into the vein.

Then, she pulled back on the weird button, making the colored figure slide up the cylinder, followed by a flow of dark red liquid. Surprisingly to Luka, it didn’t hurt at all, and he hardly noticed when Promestein pulled the needle out of his arm. “Half a cup of Nephilim blood…This should be more than enough. Thank you, Luka.” She put a weird, flesh-colored circle over where she put the needle, before going back to her weird screen and keyboard with the syringe in hand. “Don’t pick at the circle. Leave it there until it starts to peel off naturally. It’s an adhesive bandage, meaning it’s meant to stick to you. Keeps dirt from getting in there.” And in an instant, Promestein was cold again.

Luka took the hint. Plus, he was starting to feel tired, if the urge to yawn (an urge he easily caved into) said anything at all. So, he stood up from his chair, picked up the Angel Halo, and started to leave. However, before he left the room, he turned himself back towards Promestein, and then called out to her. “Hey, Promestein?”

The angel turned around and looked back at Luka. “Yes?”

Luka flashed Promestein a smile. No – with Luka, flashing a smile wasn’t possible. He gave her a big, goofy grin that was so characteristic of the Hero. “I hope everything works out. With the anti-White Rabbit, and when we talk about your scientific practices and everything. We’ll work out something so you can keep following your passion and sharing it without hurting people. All right?”

Promestein’s face started to turn red. Almost as red as her hair, even more red than her eyes. A rare smile formed on her lips; not the confident smirk she always wore, but a warm smile, like a young girl in love. “All right. Thank you, Luka. Heading back to bed?”

“Y-Yeah.” Luka scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “It’s late, and I’m tired. Kinda just…Wandered here.”

“I understand. I know how curiosity feels.” Promestein held up her hand, and waved to Luka. “Get back safe, and good night.”

Promestein was the last person Luka would expect to hear say good-night. Those two words, from that one person, though, really warmed his heart. “Good night to you too, Promestein. Don’t work yourself too hard!” He chimed, as he finally left the room, and made his way back to the Monster Lord’s Castle.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a thing for a friendo. Short and sweet!
> 
> Also, it's my first post here. So, please consider that I'm trying to figure things out here!


End file.
